God is at work in the world ...
- Caring for it
God is caring for the world
God, who is the Creator of the world, is at work in the world, ruling over it and caring for it ...
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. (Isaiah 40:28)
The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. (Psalm 103:19)
The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. (Psalm 145:9)
- Doing good
God is doing good
God, who is good, is at work in the world, doing good ...
My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working. (John 5:17)
He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:45)
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17)
He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your heart with joy (Acts 14:7)
- Bringing good out of evil
God is bringing good out of evil
God, who is all-wise and all-powerful, is at work in the world bringing good out of evil.
He brought good out of evil by overruling the murder of Jesus his Son for the salvation of those who repent and believe in him ...
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. ... you killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. ... repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out. (Acts 3:13, 15-16, 19)
He brings good out of evil by working all things for the good of believers ...
We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ... Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:28-29, 35, 37-39)
- giving everyone who believes in Jesus of Nazareth as Son of God and the only Saviour from sin and death, eternal life
God is giving eternal life
God, who is love, is at work in the world giving eternal life to everyone who believes in Jesus of Nazareth as Son of God and the only Saviour from sin and death ...
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. (John 3:14-18)
- working towards the defeat of evil and the punishment of all who persist in rebellion against him
God is working to defeat evil
God, who is holy, is at work in the world to defeat the power of evil and to punish all who persist in rebellion against him ...
The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:38-42)
- getting ready to replace this world with a new world free of evil and everyone who does evil
God is preparing a better place
God, who is faithful to all his promises, is at work in the world preparing to replace it with a new world, free from all evil and every person that does evil.
By God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:5-7)
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. ... That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. (2 Peter 3:10, 12-13)